The Seahawks and NU
The Story You May Not Know
The Seattle Seahawks charged through the 2013 football season, winning their first Super Bowl in convincing fashion before a crowd of millions worldwide. But what you may not know is the history between ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and the Seattle Seahawks. It is a story we honor to this day.
The year was 1986. After 10 years in existence, the Seahawks were losing the lease on their training camp on Lake Washington in Kirkland. As Randy Barton, the Director of Development at NU and a member of the Kirkland City Council, contemplated the consequences of the Seahawks leaving town, he had an idea: “What if we offered the undeveloped land on the eastside of the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ campus to the Seahawks?” It was a long shot at best, but he took it.
Not only would he have to convince the Seahawks, he would have to persuade the leadership of the university. But when everyone had examined his proposal, they all agreed. A partnership between ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and the Seattle Seahawks was good for everyone.
The agreement gave the Seahawks a free, 15-year lease on 12 acres at NU. In return, NU would inherit any facilities the team had built once their lease expired and they moved away. NU didn’t have a football team, but with the Seahawks’ new training facilities on our campus, NU adopted the team as their own. Players even lived in the NU dorms during the summer training camps. Over the years, students could hear the Seahawks coaches—from Chuck Knox to Mike Holmgren—shouting instructions to the team. After staying 22 years, the Seahawks moved to a permanent facility, leaving us three practice fields and a 35,000 square foot building they had built here as their official headquarters.
Today, the facilities built by the Seahawks are in full use by our athletic teams, students, and staff, and it remains one of the greatest philanthropic gifts ever given to ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. While our business relationship has ended, we’re still Seahawks fans. Three years ago, Russell Wilson spoke at our Hall of Fame event, honoring NU’s student athletes. Other players and ex-players remain friends of NU. Some of them were married in our chapel through the years. And if you look closely, you can still see physical traces of the Seahawks legacy around campus.
The Seattle Seahawks proved to the world that they are a special team. At ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, it’s something we’ve known all along. They hold a special place in our history. And in our hearts.
This article was originally published in ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½’s "Pursuit Magazine" .